1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label and, more particularly, to a blank label having a luminescent signaling section which an indicium can be subsequently printed on.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Invisible ink jet inks are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/331,829 filed Dec. 30, 2002 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Color fluorescent inks are described in U.S. patent application publication Nos. US 2002/0195586 A1, US 2003/000530s A1, and US 2003/0041774 A1, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Color luminescent ink, such as a fluorescent ink or a phosphorescent ink is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/692,569 filed Oct. 24, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/692,570, filed Oct. 24, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes halftone printing and gray scale printing with multi-signal transmission ink.
Processing mail with automated equipment at mail processing centers requires correctly orienting the mail so that address information and other related information can be scanned and read. This is accomplished with facing equipment. Currently, stamps can provide a phosphorescent signal. When the facing equipment detects the phosphorescent signal from a stamp, the stamp can be cancelled so that it cannot be used again. This can be done by printing a black mark across the image of the stamp.
Indicia printed by postage meters can provide a fluorescent signature with a special fluorescent ink, or a special barcode known as a FIM (facing and identification mark), to provide the means for properly identifying the front of the mail piece. However, these methods limit what can be printed or can significantly affect the final appearance of the image. Using a FIM requires printing a large barcode in the middle of the image. This FIM provides evidence of postage printing. However, a FIM imposes significant restrictions on what can be printed and its final appearance. The requirement for using fluorescent ink also significantly restricts what can be printed, how it is printed, and the final appearance of the image.